Discovering Ladybug's Identity
by April4444Key
Summary: After a near fatal akuma attack, Chat Noir discovers the person behind his beloved Ladybug.
1. Chapter 1

Akuma attacks during the night were rare but they tended to be more dangerous. Chat Noir wasn't sure what it was exactly, but there was something about the combination of the eerie darkness and ghostly pale moon that turned their usual crowd of villains into bloodthirsty monsters that were willing to kill in order to get their hands on the ever famous red ladybug earrings and black cat ring.

Tonight had been no exception. It had been tough taking down Hawk moth's latest victim, but as usual Ladybug had used her lucky charm to come up with a brilliant plan to capture their foe. Amongst all the chaos, Chat had lost sight of his partner, but within seconds the akuma was gone and all that remained was a very confused woman who had no idea what she was doing in the middle of Paris at midnight.

The job was done, and he waited on the roof of a nearby building, waiting patiently for his Lady to arrive. These little moments after the akuma attacks were always his favorites. The two of them would usually just sit and talk about the latest villain they had beaten, or just rest and enjoy the view of the city. He cherished those few minutes that he and Ladybug spent together before their transformation wore off.

From behind him, he heard the heavy thud of feet landing on the concrete roof, and he grinned. "It's about time you joined me, my lady. I was getting lonely without you. "

Nothing. The air filled with uncomfortable silence and Chat frowned. It wasn't like Ladybug to be so quiet, and it definitely wasn't like her to ignore his flirting.

"My Lady?" Chat turned around to face his partner and his trademark grin instantly vanished as soon as he saw the sight that greeted him.

Ladybug was slumped against the wall, breathing heavily, her hand clutching her chest upon where a large red spot was blooming rapidly. "I-I'm...fine..." She managed to choke out as she gritted her teeth in pain and slowly slid down the wall to a sitting position.

In an instant Chat was besides her, his hands gravitating towards the wound and gently pressing up against it to slow down the flow of blood. His green eyes flooded with worry and he was surprised to find himself blinking back tears. He hated seeing his Ladybug be in such great pain. "You're not fine, Ladybug." He told her in a soothing voice in an attempt to hide his fear and worry.

Ladybug rolled her eyes and tried to pry his hands off. "It's just a little scratch, kitty." She insisted, her voice cracking in the middle of the sentence. She placed her hands on the cold concrete ground and slowly pushed herself up. The pain was unbearable, it was as if her body was on fire. She gave Chat a weak smile and a thumbs up. "See, I'm fine."

Chat shook his head furiously. "Ladybug, you should rest, let me look at that wound for you." He tried to move closer to her was stopped by a small beeping sound.

Ladybug heard it too, it was her earrings. All the spots were gone and the transformation would wear off any minute. She grimaced slightly at the unexpected new development, but she knew she had no choice. No matter have much pain she was in, she had to get out of there before she turned back to Marinette. She couldn't let Chat see her. "I should get going now."

"Ladybug, no!" His voice was firm and the worry in his eyes was replaced was astonishment. His arm shot out forward and grabbed her shoulder. "I can't let you leave, not when you're like this!"

Ladybug shook his arm off and winced at the pain that small action caused her. The wound had stopped bleeding, and the fiery pain had been replaced with a dull numbing pain that was beginning to spread throughout all her body. "I need to go." She explained hastily as she tried not to panic. She could hear Tikki telling her that she couldn't hold on anymore, that she only had seconds before it wore off.

"Ladybug, wait!"

She didn't. Ladybug ignored him and dashed forward-well she tried to. The very first step she took spent unbelievable waves of pain shooting throughout all her body. It was as if she was being burned alive, she felt hot, boiling, all she could see was red. She couldn't help it, she screamed, the pain was unbearable. She could hear Chat yelling at her, but she gritted her teeth and took another step forward. A brand new wave of pain literally slammed into her and out came the sobs and cries that she had been desperately trying to hold in. She took another step forward, and that was when everything went haywire.

Her muscles went slack, her legs wouldn't listen to her brain. As soon as her foot came down, she collapsed into a heap. Her head banged against the concrete floor and soon even more pain flooded her body. She wanted to move her arms forward to cradle her head, but she found that she couldn't move. Her vision began to cloud, it was as if the sky was replaced with pitch black darkness. She felt herself being lifted up, and in her last few moments of consciousness she smiled slightly at the sudden soothing feeling that washed over her.

Chat cradled Ladybug's limp form and hugged her tightly as hot tears began to run down his cheeks. He heard his own ring begin to beep but he paid no attention to it and didn't move at all when he felt his transformation wear off.

Plagg was besides him, for once the cheese loving kwami wore a sorrowful face and his eyes were cast down. "She'll be alright," He assured Adrien quietly as he flew over to the blonde boy and sat on his shoulder. "She not dead, just unconscious."

Adrien flinched at his words. Just because she wasn't dead didn't mean that she was okay. He was her partner, together they were a team. They were supposed to look out for one another, and tonight he had failed her.

A sharp rapid beeping filled the air. Adrien and Plagg watched as Ladybug's red outfit was magically replaced with dirty, scuffed up street clothes and as her polka dotted mask vanished to reveal a pretty face marked with scratches and dried blood. Out of her earrings shot out a small red kwami that crashed into the floor and trembled violently.

Adrien's breath hitched as he looked upon his Lady's true face and realized that he recognized those familiar blue pigtails.

It was Marinette. How could he been so stupid? His mind began to spin as he thought back to all the signs that he had never paid attention to, to all the hints that had clearly pointed towards Marinette being his beloved Lady. He should have figured it out, he really should of. For months he had dreamed of finally discovering who his Lady really was, but now that he knew he only felt worse about what had happened. Marinette was his classmate, _his friend_ for crying out loud, and he hadn't been able to protect her. To say he felt guilty was an understatement, the last time he had felt this horrible was the day his mom left.

He was so caught up in his shame and guilt that he almost didn't realize that Plagg was nudging him softly. "It's gonna rain soon, we should get out of here." The small, little cat kwami explained quietly as he nodded towards the dark, cloudy sky.

Adrien nodded and hesitantly stood up. "Plagg, transform me." He demanded even though he knew that his poor friend was probably exhausted as well from the long night they had been through. Plagg complied without any protests, and within seconds Chat Noir was back.

Chat walked over to the red kwami and bent down to examine her. She had stopped trembling and whether she was unconscious as well or just in a deep sleep, he couldn't tell, but irregardless of that he gently picked up the small creature and tucked her safely into one of his pockets.

He could feel the first few drops of cold rain hit his ears, and he knew he had to hurry. He rushed away to Marinette, and gently picked her and kept his arms wrapped tightly around her. He glanced across the roofs of the nearby buildings and sighed in relief as he made out the familiar outline of the bakery in the distant.

Chat glanced once more at the pale girl he held in his arms, and bent down to softly place a kiss on her forehead. He then took a deep breath and quickly made his way towards the bakery, jumping across the roofs, making sure to keep a tight grip on Marinette at all times.

"I'm sorry."

She couldn't hear him, he knew that, but it didn't stop him from saying it.


	2. Chapter 2

_What happened?_

That was the first thought that crossed Marinette's mind when she finally regained consciousness. She tried to think back to the last thing that she remembered, but was disappointed to find that she had a hazy recollection of the last hour of her life.

She had hit her head, she knew that for sure. Her hand instantly reached up to check her forehead and instead of feeling the touch of warm skin and dried blood, her fingers touched something cool and moist. Surprised, she grabbed the mysterious object and brought it to her eyes. It was a compress.

"Tikki?"

She almost had a heart attack when she realized that she was all alone and had no idea when her little friend was.

 _Where was she?_

It was dark, and the dim moon light wasn't helping her vision. Hesitantly, she reached out and felt her surroundings. She was surprised to find that the movements caused a small, but dull, pain thought out her body. Her fingers touched a pillow and springy mattress, definite signs that she was currently in a bed.

 _Who's bed?_

Despite the pain she knew it would cause her, that thought sent Marinette bolting up into a sitting position. She blinked a few times, desperately trying to get her eyes to adjust to being the dark so that she could figure out where she was. No such luck.

She groaned at her misfortune and buried her face in her hands and she urged herself to think back and try to recover her memory. She thought back to the last thing that she remembered for sure. She and Chat Noir had defeated an akuma, but she had gotten a nasty gash in the process of doing so. After that, her earrings had ran out of spots. But then what? That was the part when her mind always went blank.

" _A-choo!"_

She wasn't alone. Her head shot up at the speed of light, and her could feel her heartbeat quicken as her chest heaved rapidly with heavy panting. Frantically, her eyes scanned over the room, trying to locate whoever had sneezed. There was a part of her that hoped she had just imagined it, she had hit her head pretty hard after all.

Her gaze finally fell upon a window, and there, standing over the window still were two cat-like green eyes that appeared to be floating in mid-air. Their eyes met, and she saw the emerald orbs widen in shock and surprise.

Marinette didn't think it was possible for her heart to beat any faster.

"...Marinette?"

The cool and confident voice that she had grown to love was now so full of uncertainly and doubt that for a second she almost convinced herself that it wasn't him. Almost. The truth was, she'd recognize those eyes anywhere.

This wasn't how she had imagined they would unmask themselves. She had always hoped that this moment would be years away, when Marinette was more confident and sure of herself. It was silly, but she had a somewhat irrational fear that Chat Noir would be disappointed if he discovered who she really was. As a result, whenever he brought up the idea of revealing themselves to each other, she was always against it. 'The time just isn't right,' was the explanation she had always given him.

The time still wasn't right. But it was already happening, whether she liked it or not.

"...C-Chat?" She was surprised by how small and hesitant her voice sounded. She wasn't sure how to act.

Silence. Quiet footsteps filled with air, and she could vaguely make out of the figure of something coming towards her. Within seconds, Chat was standing next to the bed, staring down at her with a mixture of concern and worry.

"Don't try to get up yet." He placed his hands on her shoulders and gently lowered her back towards the bed. "You need to rest." His voice was strangly calm and soothing.

Marinette shook her head and tried to get up again, but Chat prevented her from doing so. "But, Tikki!" She protested as Chat took the compress off her head and replaced it with a new one. "Where is she? Is she alright?! Was she hurt?" Her voice rose up higher with each question and Chat glanced at the door, praying that her parents hadn't heard her.

"She's fine," He assured her quickly, nodding towards the darkness, in the direction of where her desk was. "I made her a little bed, she's resting now."

"Thank goodness," Marinette sighed in relief after she heard that. She felt as if a weight had been taken off her shoulders, she never would have forgiven herself if something had happened to Tikki.

Chat hummed in response, and he bent in closer to inspect her head. His hands brushed over the small bumps, the small action made Marinette flinch.

"Sorry, sorry!" He drew his hand back and flashed her an apologetic look. "Want me to kiss it and make it better?"

The words slipped out of his mouth before he could stop himself. He always flirted with her when she was Ladybug...but now that he knew she was Marinette, he felt like it wouldn't be a good idea. At school, she always seemed to be so flustered and intimidated by him. Plus after what had happened, after she had almost died because of him, it seemed inappropriate.

Marinette froze. She blinked at him, trying to think about how she should respond. Usually, she would always just brush off his flirting. But that was when she was Ladybug.

"I'm sorry." His voice was so quiet, she almost couldn't hear him. He sat down on the edge of the bed, next to her, looking down at the floor as he held his head down.

"...What?" She gingerly sat up and looked at his dejected form. Reaching forward, she placed a hand on his shoulder. "Chat?"

He shook her hand off. "I'm sorry, Marinette." His voice cracked in the middle of his sentence, and he hastily reached up to wipe something from his eyes.

She stared at him, confused and trying to decipher the meaning behind his words. "Chat, it's ok. You flirt with me all the time, I'm not mad at you-"

"-it's not about that." Chat had finally lifted his head up and was now looking at her, his eyes full of regret and shame, his cat ears dropping down in sadness, and his face tear streaked. "I'm sorry for everything. We're partners, for god's sake! I should have helped you more, I could have saved you so much pain and tears!" His clenched his fists as he looked down at himself. "I'm so sorry, my Lady."

Marinette sat there silent, soaking in all that he had said. Her heart broke as she watched him, so full of sadness and regret. It was so unlike, so out of character that it almost frightened her to see him like this. She reached towards him and wrapped her arms around him, in a tight hug and pulled him down with her on the bed. He stiffened, but he didn't say anything or protest. "Silly, kitty." She reached forward and lightly tapped his nose in a playful gesture. "I'm not mad at you."

"You're...you're not?" His eyes brightened at the thought for a spilt second, but then reverted back. "But, I couldn't protect you."

She shook her head and placed a finger on his lips to silence him when he tried to protest. "Chat, you brought me all the way to my house, put in me bed, got me a compress, and you even took care of Tikki. I couldn't ask for a better partner."

"You mean that?" Chat's ears perked up and she couldn't help but giggle at the sight.

Marinette shook her head in confirmation, and Chat grinned a million watt smile before scooting closer to her and giving her a bone crushing hug. "You're the best partner I could ever hope for." He mushed as he rested his head on her shoulder and yawned quietly. "I don't know what I'd do if I ever lost you."

She blushed slightly as she felt his warm breath tickle her ear. "You'll never lose me." She could her eyelids growing heavy and allowed herself to relax and drift off nto a well deserved sleep while still snuggled up in her partner's arms.


	3. Chapter 3

When she woke up, Marinette was disappointed to find that she was all alone in her bed. She looked longingly at the empty spot next to her, half wondering if perhaps she had just dreamed it all up.

No, that wasn't possible, looking back, the memory seemed so vivid and real that if she closed her eyes she could almost feel his strong arms protectively wrapped around her, the warm body heat radiating off him, and the ticklish feeling as his tail brushed against her legs. Almost.

Sighing, she threw the covers off and slowly stepped out of bed, carefully not to put too much strain on her injured body parts. She carefully took a few steps and was relieved to find that walking wasn't completely unbearable, she'd be able to make it through the day at school. Her head was pounding, but it was only a small headache, nothing she couldn't handle.

Tikki.

She had almost forgotten about her little friend. Marinette glanced over at her dresser and was relieved to see the little kwami resting soundly amongst a nest of scarves. She walked over to her and bent down so that she was at eye level with the top.

"Tikki?" She whispered softly as she gently shook her awake. She felt a bit bad about waking Tikki, but she just had to talk to her, to make sure she was ok.

Tikki groggily opened her eyes and peeked up at Marinette. Instantly a huge smile appeared on her face. "Marinette!" Her voice was a bit raspy, but there was no denying the joy behind it.

"Hi, Tikki!" Marinette replied, echoing her tone. She gently scooped up the kwami in her hands and brought her closer to her face. "Are you alright?"

Tikki giggled and nodded her head. "I'm fine, really, no permanent damage. But what about you? You didn't look so good last night..." Tikki trailed off as she flew up and zipped all around Marinette, inspecting all her injuries.

"I'm fine, Tikki." Marinette assured her. "Well, I am kinda sore, and I have a small headache. But it's nothing major."

Tikki frowned at her response. "I don't know Marinette..." Her voice was full of uncertainty and doubt. "Maybe you should stay home from school today, you went through a lot last night. At least take a day off so you can rest."

"No, I'm fine Tikki." Marinette said, brushing off the idea. She walked over to her desk and begin getting her things ready for school. "Besides, it'd be suspicious...since I'm obviously not sick. My parents probably wouldn't let me stay home."

"Alright, but only if you really feel well enough..." Tikki said, finally giving in but still a bit doubtful about the idea. She watched Marinette as she got ready for school...and there was something off about her. Her body language was different, she seemed tense and anxious. Something was bothering her. "Marinette, are you sure you're ok?"

Marinette hesitated for a second before answering. "Yeah, I'm fine." She finally replied.

"Are you sure?" Tikki looked at her with concern.

"I was just thinking..." Marinette looked down at the floor, her eyes full of sadness. "Chat and I scheduled a patrol for tonight..."

"Is that it? If you don't feel like going, then just talk to him. I'm sure he'll understand." Tikki offered, trying to make her feel better.

Marinette shook her head. "It's not that." She said, her voice getting quieter and quieter. "It's just that. . . now that he knows who I. . . I don't know. I just feel like after the shock of last night wears off and he'll be disappointed by me, because now he knows Ladybug is just plain old Marinette."

"Marinette, don't be so hard on yourself!" Tikki exclaimed. "You were chosen to be Ladybug for a reason, you are Ladybug! He likes you as Ladybug, so there's no reason that he wouldn't like you as Marinette."

Marinette shrugged. "I guess you're right..." She finally said, although she sounded unsure of it. She glanced over at the clock and almost had a heart attack when she saw the time. "Oh no, I'm gonna be late!"


	4. Chapter 4

Where was he?

Ladybug stood nervously at she waited for Chat to arrive for their weekly patrol night. She leaned against the brick wall of the building and watched over the view of the city, searching intently to see if Chat Noir was on his way. The more time that passed, the more anxious she felt. What was she going to say to him when he arrived? Should she just pretend that last night had never happened? This was Chat she was talking about, one of her closest friends, she shouldn't be scared.

No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't get rid of the nagging insecurity that persisted. Would things still be the same between them? The butterflies in her stomach wouldn't go away, it was as if her insides were doing flips.

Part of her wondered if she still had time to sneak away and go home. Maybe she did need some more time to rest, Chat would understand. But no, deep down inside, she knew that she had to talk to him. She couldn't avoid this forever and it was to just get it over with instead of running away and hiding.

From behind, she heard the thud of feet landing softly on the concrete roof. Chat had arrived. Sighing, she turned around to face him.

His eyes brightened when he saw her and his smiled widened. "Good evening, my lady," He greeted, bowing dramatically.

"Hi, kitty." Ladybug could feel the corners of her lips tugging up into a small smile but she quickly wiped it off her face. She couldn't let herself get distracted by his flirting.

"What's wrong?" He questioned, instantly detecting the hidden tone behind her words. A look of worry flashed across his face as he stepped towards her. "Does your head still hurt? If you're not feeling well then you can go home, I can patrol by myself, don't worry about it."

"No, it's not that.." She didn't know why it was so hard to tell him, the words were on the tip of her tongue but she just couldn't seem to get them out. Just a few minutes ago she couldn't wait for Chat to arrive so she could tell him, now she didn't know if she could tell him. "It's just that.."

"It's just what?" Chat echoed softly as he studied her closely, trying to decipher the mix of worry, anxious, and distress that reflected in her eyes. He didn't like seeing her like this.

"I was wondering." She spoke so quietly, that she wasn't even sure if Chat could hear her. "Are you disappointed?" She had thought that she would feel better after telling him, but the anxious feeling in her gut persisted.

"Disappointed? About what?" He asked slowly, as if repeating the question would offer more information. He frowned in confusion.

She stepped away him, being so close to him was making her even more nervous. Shivering, she hugged herself tightly and studied the floor closely, refusing to meet his eyes. "Are you disappointed that I'm Marinette?"

Chat was silent for a few moments. "Is that why you're acting so strange? Because you think I'm disappointed?" He finally replied, his eyes looked hurt and his voice had a hint of sadness in it.

Ladybug didn't reply, she merely nodded while still keeping her head down. Silence filled the air again, and it was even worse than before, it was unbearable. Another few seconds passed and she couldn't take it anymore, she had to leave.

But she couldn't. Before she could react, a strong pair of arms wrapped around her and pulled her into a comforting hug. Her first instinct was to immediately pull away, but his tight grip prevented her from doing so.

"I'm not disappointed, I'm actually pretty thrilled." Chat explained softly as he rested his chin on her head and nuzzled her hair softly.

"You...you are?!" Although he couldn't see her face, there was no denying that shock and surprise in her voice.

Chat sighed sadly and pulled away from her. He placed his hands on her shoulders and leaned in closely so that their faces were merely inches apart. "Marinette, you're amazing." He stated firmly, his confident gaze never once wavering. "You're Ladybug, with or without the mask."

"You mean that?" For the first time that evening, she felt all her fears slip away and a wave of relief washed over her.

"Of course I do, my lady." His eyes softened and he gave her an affectionate look. Smiling, he looked down at his hand and began to fiddle with his ring. "I was thinking,"

"About what?" Her eyes landed on his hand and watched silently as he began to slowly slide the ring off his finger.

"Since I know who you are, I think it's only fair that you know who I really am." Chat explained, his eyes filled with excitement and a hint of hesitation.

"Chat, are you-"

She never got to finish that sentence, because at that very second he took the ring off and his transformation slowly wore off, starting first from his feet and rising up his body so that his face was the very last part revealed. As soon as it was over Chat Noir was gone, and in his place stood Adrien Agreste.

Adrien Agreste. Adrien was Chat Noir.

Ladybug stood speechless, staring at him in shock, her mind trying to comprehend what she had just witnessed. Chat was Adrien, Adrien was Chat. Meaning that the her partner, her best friend, the guy who always flirted with her, was actually her long time crush!? There were a million thoughts running through her head, but there was one in particular that stood out. She had kissed Chat Noir once when Kim had been akumazied as Dark Cupid...that meant...

.  
...she had kissed Adrien...

"You're not disappointed, are you?" Adrien asked nervously. He had thought it would be a good idea to reveal himself, but judging from the fact that Ladybug's face was so red that it matched her suit and her eyes looked like they were going to pop out of her head...maybe it hadn't been the best idea.

His voice snapped her out of her thoughts and Ladybug felt her cheeks begin to cool down. She looked over at Adrien and studied him for a while. Although he looked different out of his suit, he was still Chat Noir. Never had changed.

She laughed, she couldn't help herself. It was all so clear to her now. For the longest time she had been afraid that revealing who they really were would mess everything up and destroy their friendship. Her greatest fear had been that Chat Noir would be disappointed by her, but now she realized how silly that thought had been.

They were still the same people, with or without the masks, and nothing was going to change between them. And that, made her feel the happiest she had ever felt in her life.

She managed to calm down, although an occasional giggle still continued to slip out, and the look on Adrien's face wasn't helping. Smiling, she reached out and slipped her hand into Adrien's. "Silly kitty," She mushed softly as she squeezed his hand affectionately. "You could never disappoint me."


	5. Chapter 5

***The next day***

Marinette ran into class just as the bell rang, barely making it to her seat in time to avoid another tardy. Although she felt much better, there was still a slight limp in her walk and her left leg hurt if she put too much pressure on it. She hadn't been able to get much sleep last night, but how could she? With all the excitement and revelations that had happened, she had found it too hard to fall asleep. Instead, she had thought back to all the times where it had been so obvious, where if she had only looked a little closer she would have been able to put the puzzle together and figure out that Adrien was Chat Noir. Honestly, she felt like kicking herself for not being able to make the connection. Love really does make you blind.

As she rushed over to sit down, she shot a quick glance at Adrien and felt her heart skip a beat when she saw that he was looking at her as well. Adrien gave her a small smile and winked quickly, an action that Marinette blush like crazy and squeal a bit. Alya gave her a questioning stare when Marinette sat down looking like her cheeks were on fire, but she didn't say anything.

A small note then landed on her desk, and Marinette's hand shot out to grab the paper before anyone else saw it. She opened it carefully and as discreetly as she could, making sure not to draw any attention to herself. Her heart almost stopped and she breathed in sharply as she read the four simple words that were written on it

 **Good morning, My Lady.**

Alya didn't think it was possible for her friend to get any redder. Boy was she wrong, Marinette's face got so red that she almost looked like a ladybug.

The morning classes went by surprisingly quick, although Marinette found it hard to concentrate. Adrien sat right in front of her and every time she looked at him her heart starting beating faster as she thought back to the note that he had sent her. She thought about writing him a note back but every time she picked up her pen to write something, her mind went blank and she couldn't come up with anything to say back.

The bell for lunch rang and everyone got up quickly, eager to get some fresh air outside and have a break from learning and doing school work.

"Marinette, let's go." Alya said excitedly as she shot up out of her seat and headed towards the door. "There's something on the Ladyblog that you're got to see!"

"Really, what?" Marinette was so distracted and in a hurry to catch up with Alya that she really wasn't paying much attention to her surroundings. Meaning that she didn't notice that someone had left their backpag lying in the middle of the aisle until it was too late. Her foot slipped over the bag and she stumbled forward a feet before loosing her balance and falling to the ground.

"Ow.." She mumbled, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment and she rubbed her head. She had banged it in the exact same spot from a few days ago. Why did she have to be so clumsy sometimes?

"Marinette, are you alright?"

Her head shot up when she heard the familiar voice, and was greeted by the sight of Adrien kneeling closely next to her, intently looking over her to see if she was hurt. His green eyes were filled with worry and his hands cautiously hovered near the place where she was rubbing her head.

She blushed at his close proximity and nodded quickly. "I'm fine, really. The ground isn't that hard." It was sweet, to see his inner Chat come out. Before, she would have stuttered like crazy and not even have been able to utter a full complete sentence. Now, she felt so comfortable with him.

Adrien frowned at her words and leaned in closer. "Are you sure? Is your head alright?" He looked over her once more, before getting up and holding out his hand. "I'll help you up."

Marinette stared at the hand, speechless, and vaguely aware that everyone in the room was currently staring at the two of them. Hesitantly, she reached out to grab his hand and was surprised to find how warm and comforting the simple action was. "Thank you," She breathed quickly once she was finally off the ground.

He smiled and squeezed her hand once more. "You should probably go to the nurse, I'll go with you."

"Oh no, you don't have to do tha-" Before Marinette could even finish her sentence, Adrien was already leading her towards the door and maneuvering through the crowed of kids that had been curiously looking on.

"I want to."

The two walked through the nearly empty halls in silence. Marinette looked down and was surprise to realize that he was still holding on tightly to her hand.

"You really don't have to do this." Marinette said again, breaking the silence. They had reached the nurse's office, but Adrien was still lingering to let go of her hand and Marinette made no move to stop him.  
"But I appreciate it.."

"I told you, I wanted to." Adrien smiled softly at her and leaned in closely to whisper quietly in her ear. "I always protect my Lady, both in and out of the suit."

She hadn't meant to hug him, but at the moment it was her first instinct. Her heat soared with joy as she threw her hands around him and laughed softly. "Thank you, Chat."

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It was almost the end of lunch when Marinette finally emerged from the room, wielding a bag of ice pressed firmly to her head and a lollipop that the nurse had so kindly gifted her. Alya jumped up from where she had been sitting on the floor next to the door, and ran over to her.

"What was that?!" Alya demanded as soon as the door closed behind Marinetter and they were alone in the empty hallways. "You and Adrien, you two had a moment together!

Marinette laughed nervously and shook her head. "I just tripped and he helped me up, it wasn't a moment."

"Just tripped? Just tripping doesn't require a trip to the nurse's office." Now it was Alya's turn to laugh. "Man, I wish I had gotten it on video." She grinned widely. "You two were looking at each like you were the only two people on earth."

"No way, you're exaggerating, it wasn't like that." Marinette insisted as she felt her cheeks begin to grow hot.

"If it wasn't a moment, then why are you blushing?" Alya teased, as she poked Marinette's cheeks.

"So what were you saying about the Ladyblog?" Marinette asked, desperate to change the subject.

Alya frowned. "Don't think that I'm done with you yet." She pulled out her phone and began typing wildly on it. "It totally was a moment and nothing you say can convince me otherwise."

Later that day, when Marinette returned back to the classroom after the bell had rang, she was shocked to see yet another note waiting for her. There was no hiding it this time, Alya had been the first to spot it and she was now looking intently at Marinette as she opened it. "Well, what do it say?!"

Marinette shrugged and pushed the note aside. "Nothing, it was just a scrap of paper from someone's homework." As soon as Alya looked away, she quickly grabbed the note and shoved it into her bag, trying not to let herself smile because that would give her away.

 **How's your head? Do you need a CAT scan, because if so, I'm more than happy to offer my services~**

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A/N: So...I'm back from the dead. A lot of you wanted another chapter, but I honestly feel like overall plot is done, so any other updates from now on will probably just be short little cute moments between Ladybug and Chat Noir.

\- I'm currently going to be working on another ML fanfiction, it's called "Time to say goodbye", so check it out if you want more miraculous fanfictions.


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